Law

No hermits for the jury

Article Abstract:

The judiciary should not favor jurors who are both ignorant and incurious as they make a poor and sometimes incompetent jury. Prior information in many cases is virtually impossible to avoid, so lawyers and judges should instead use voir dire to determine what a potential juror has seen and heard and how it has affected his or her impartiality. Those who know nothing are rarely the defendant's peers. Knowledgeable jurors are especially important in complex cases or those involving highly technical evidence, such as DNA.

James W. Quinn, a sports attorney who represents professional athletes, believes that the key to winning is keeping sports fans off the jury since they are the ones most likely to resent the high salaries athletes obtain. He was attorney for eight athletes who sued the National Football League in 1992, charging that NFL free agency rules were a restraint of trade. One of Quinn's key strategies was to have the players' association disband so that the League could not use the labor defense. This strategy worked.

Where jury still spells progress

Article Abstract:

The American Board of Trial Advocates spent Apr 23-Mar 4, 1992, in Russia discussing the American legal system with Russian colleagues. They found a very receptive audience, in spite of the announcement of the Rodney King verdict towards the end of their stay. Since Russia is suffering much ethnic strife, lawyers there know selecting unbiased juries will be a crucial issue. They understand how important a jury is in a democracy and are eager to devise their own variant.